Our Love Story

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ava stared at me from across the table of the cafe, arms crossed. I ignored her gaze as I ate my pasta awkwardly. "Nova," she said. "How much longer are you going to keep Everett waiting?"

I cleared my throat. "What are you talking about?"

"It's been two weeks since the party," she said. "After you two spoke, it's like nothing ever happened! I thought you two would be lovey-dovey by now."

My brows furrowed as I shot her a look. "No, no way. Not right now, at least," I told her. "Look, I still feel a little weird after finding out that he and my sister kissed at one point. Wouldn't it be weird if I started dating him right after finding something like that out?"

"Yeah, that makes sense," she mumbled. "Still, don't keep him waiting forever. Some other girl might come and snatch him away."

I scoffed. "Like that will happen."

"No, really," she said as I sipped my soda. "His ex-girlfriend is coming here."

At that, I choked on my soda, my throat burning as I coughed uncontrollably, pounding my chest. "What?" I all but shouted.

"Well, she's not coming alone. His friends from California are coming here to pay him a visit, she just happens to be one of them."

I blinked. "So, when do they get here?"

"This weekend," Ava told me. "They rented out a lake house and told us to come hang out there." A fierce look flashed through her eyes. "You're coming, of course. You and I need to be there to make sure nothing happens!"

"Is it really fine for me to go?"

"Don't worry about that!" she told me. "Just be ready on Saturday morning. Luka is borrowing his family's van so the four of us can go there together."

The weekend came by quick and now we're all in the van, on the way to the lake house, which is an hour away. Ava sat in the passenger seat as Luka drove, talking about some tv show. Everett sat in the seat to my left, scrolling through his phone quietly.

Shifting in my seat, I decided to say something to him. "So," I began, and he turned his head to look at him, locking his phone, the screen turning dark. "How many friends of yours are going to be there?"

"Just four," he answered.

"Ava told me your ex is one of them," I said. Ava stopped mid-sentence of whatever she was saying to Luka and turned her head, shooting daggers at me with her stare. I just shrugged at her.

Everett nodded. "Yeah, she's going to be there," he said, unfazed. A smirk formed on his face. "What, are you worried?"

My eyes formed into slits as I stared at him. "No, not worried at all," I deadpanned.

"Good," he said. "You don't need to be."

Instead of saying anything, I just grunted and turned my head to look out the window.

The rest of the ride was silent and we finally arrived at our destination. We grabbed our bags from the trunk and made our way into the huge house, the lake glittering in the sun right behind it.

Music played through the house and chattering could be heard coming from the living room, where we found Everett's friends sitting. They all smiled once they noticed us.

"Yo, Everett!" A tall, tan guy wearing a t-shirt and shorts exclaimed, shooting up from his seat. "What's up, dude? It's been a while." He turned to Ava, Luka and I. "The name's Darren! Nice to meet you guys."

A girl with dark hair that ended just below her shoulders walked over to us, smiling. "Hey, Ev," she said, giving him a hug. "It's been so long! I've missed you."

"Hey, Lauren," he greeted.

She smiled as her eyes drifted to me. "So, who's this?"

Everett wrapped an arm around my shoulders, surprising me, and pulled me closer. "This is Nova," he told her.

A moment passed as she waited for him to say anything else, and when he didn't, she nodded and turned to me. "Nice to meet you." I took her outstretched hand, shaking it.

"You, too," I said, glancing at Everett, who just looked back at me casually as he removed his arm from around me.

"We got some burgers and stuff on the grill already, come out when you guys after you guys are done settling in your rooms!" Darren told us as he disappeared out onto the deck.

Everett and I made our way up the stairs, where Ava and Luka were already. She poked her head out from the doorway of her and Luka's room when she heard our footsteps approaching. "Hey, you two," she said. "So, there's a bit of a problem."

"What is it?" Everett asked.

"There's only four bedrooms," Luka informed us.

I blinked before the realization hit me. "W-Wait, what?" I asked. "That means-!"

"We have to share a room," Everett said, finishing my sentence. I watched as he walked forward and into the empty room, which is across from Luka and Ava.

Going in right after him, I examined the room, my eyes landing on the most important piece of furniture. "There's only one bed," I said.

"I have eyes," Everett responded. "I see that."

"So, are we going to sleep on it together? Or is one of us going to sleep on the floor?" I asked as I sat down on the bed.

He seemed to think for a bit before he strode over, placing both hands on the bed on either side of me, leaning down and bringing his face just before mine. "What, you don't want to sleep with me?" he asked, voice low.

My breath caught in my throat at his closeness, my eyes shifting over to look at the wall behind him instead of into his eyes. "I don't not want to," I mumbled. "I don't mind sleeping with you. As in, we're both unconscious in dreamland, not whatever you're suggesting there."

He laughed. "I'm not suggesting anything," he told me. "You're the only one here thinking about something else." With that, he pulled away and walked towards the door. "Let's go eat."

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Author's Note: Sorry this is short. It's been a while since I updated and I apologize for that! I'll try to make the next chapter longer.